Pratikraman: Freedom Through Apology & Repentance (Abr.) (In English) Pratikraman: Freedom Through Apology & Repentence | Page 11

malice, it is made with compassion. There should be some way
to eliminate our problems. What have the Gnanis and the
Tirthankars said about one’s progress from the state of
ignorance to the attainment of Absolute Knowledge? How can
we be liberated from the bondage of our past karmas and the
bondage created through our inherent attachment and
abhorrence?
It is said that the path of liberation is for the brave and
not for cowards, but where must this valor be used to expedite
liberation? Is it possible for a person with a lot of bad karmas
to acquire good karmas?
How can you suppress the fires of suffering that torment
you throughout your life? How can a man cope with a
domineering wife, difficult children, and his financial worries that
overshadow his peace, day and night?
How can one recover from incessant kashays that exist
between a Guru and a disciple? When a person expends his
mind, speech, and body by committing adultery or cheating
others out of their wealth, where else but in hell or lower life
forms can he expect to take birth in his next life? And if one has
done so, how can he become free? How can one remain
cautious so as to not fall prey to such acts? What are the
answers to such questions that have agonized people for time
immemorial?
Every human makes mistakes against his will. People
become trapped in their own mistakes and suffer incessantly,
due to their earnest desire to be free of such mistakes, find inner
happiness, and progress toward their liberation.
The Tirthankars and the Gnanis have given this world
the only weapon to combat such suffering, and that weapon is
the spiritual science of alochana (confession of one’s mistakes),
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